


Keeping It On The Field

by sounni



Category: Smallville
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-23
Updated: 2014-08-28
Packaged: 2018-02-14 08:52:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2185497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sounni/pseuds/sounni
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lois returns from Star City with a resolve to push down her attraction to Clark and move on. With a new threat looming and a new love interest moving in on Lois can Clark face his demons and get what he wants before it's too late?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tension

AN: This is my first Smallville fic. This story begins at the end of Hex and will become its own AU.

Creak.

The chair groaned each time she pushed back on it, a small smirk gracing her face as she watched the irritated glare that was being directed her way.

Lois Lane continued to create the grating sound, imitating the exact gesture the man across from her had bestowed nearly a year earlier. Back then she'd had no idea of the impact working with Clark Kent would have on her life and her career. When Lois had first met Clark nearly 5 years ago, she would never in her wildest dreams have thought that their relationship would have progressed so far. She realised that under all the snipping, bickering and banter laid a much deeper and dangerous connection and that scared her.

Lois knew that she buried feelings deep behind a wall that she had carefully erected ever since she was a little girl. She'd only recently realised that Clark had somehow been slowly chipping away and had actually managed to breach her defences. Lois thought back to several moments when she'd needed to cleverly cover up holes in her defences with witty sarcasm and jokes. Clark's seeming obliviousness had allowed her to quickly bolster her feelings back behind her walls.

It hadn't worked though; she had managed to become hurt more than she would admit to even herself. In an unexpected moment of weakness at the wedding she had felt herself become swept up in the romance and had felt her face moving in towards Clark' breath had mingled with hers, a warm breeze across her face as her heart leapt into her throat.

The moment had been easily interrupted by the return of the ever persistent Lana Lang and Lois had felt like the bottom of her world had dropped out. For one moment she had actually thought that someone had needed her but it turned out she had been wrong. Clark's fixation on his first love had trampled out any growing flames on his knew that when she had left for Star City it wasn't just for Jimmy's sake, it had also been for her own. After witnessing how Clark had been with Lana at the hospital, she wasn't sure if she could hang around to watch how the Lana saga played out this time.

As she creaked back in the chair again, Lois realised that being in Star City for over a month had actually helped her gain perspective.

Glancing slyly across at Clark, she watched as he attempted to continue his work whilst ignoring her actions. A cheeky smirk graced her face as she continued to rock. Clark wouldn't say a word or do anything until his frustration had built up beyond belief - she knew him.

Lois knew that she would never fully know what had transpired between Lana and Clark whilst she had been AWOL but from what a certain little blonde source had told her it hadn't ended happily and not from Clark's choice. Hearing this had made Lois's heart sink but had also reinvigorated her resolve to move on from whatever this messy attraction between her and Clark was. He obviously did not feel the same connection she had and though she knew she wasn't exactly high on his priority list she had at least thought this thing between them was two-sided.

Lois was knocked out of her thoughts by an irritated Clark, "Is there something on your mind, Lois?"

Shaking her head, Lois merely smiled and stood up from her seat and started gathering her belongings together. Grabbing her keys and purse she shoved them inside of her handbag.

Clark also stood and moved around the side of the desk, closer towards her. A hint of aftershave assailed her nose and she shook her head to remind herself that she had places to be.

"Big night?" Clark asked from behind her. Lois was not one to leave early and therefore Clark had jumped to the right conclusion that she had plans!

"Yeah, a guy in first class asked me out and I figured why not." Lois tried to

Clark's eyes narrowed slightly and he shrugged, "eh."

The two stood in an awkward silence for what seemed like hours, until Lois spoke up.

"What about you? Any big plans?"

Clark gave his head a quick shake, "Nah, I'm just going to hang around and follow-up on some leads."

A few moments passed before he spoke again, "Do you want me to call you if anything comes up?" Clark knew that Lois couldn't resist a juicy story, so he tangled the bait in front of her.

Lois closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, 'Now's the time to do it Lois'

"No. I've already been stood up by you Smallville."

Lois watched as Clark winced at being reminded of their unofficial coffee date to talk about what had "almost" happened and him consequently not showing up. She heard Clark clear his throat and knew that he was about to try and explain.

Clark took a moment to try to piece together an explanation of why he had not shown at the coffee-house but Lois cut him off.

"The whole idea was a mistake."

Clark felt his eyes shoot straight to hers, "I say we just chalk this up as a 'office thrown together sparks in the trenches thing'." Lois used air quotes to emphasise her point.

She was giving him and out and from the discomfort on his face...he knew it! It was a way for them to have a fresh start, get their friendship back on track

"Agreed." Clark nodded taking the Lois' offer. He didn't know where he stood and needed time to figure it out

Lois forced a smile, "Okay. Back to basics, keep the game on the field."

They both knew that this attraction between them could be just a by-product of them working so closely together every day and decided to attribute it as such. Lois got a massive kick out of irritating Clark and beating him to the best stories. She would need to pull back from any interactions that would become to personal and focus only on work!

Lois threw her curls back and pulled her handbag up her arm to rest on her shoulder.

"I'll see you tomorrow then Smallville," Lois threw over her shoulder as she walked towards the exit.

Clark gave a slight smile and a tiny wave before flopping back down into his work chair. He had several leads he should be following up but for some reason he felt both confused and another emotion he just couldn't put his finger on. Deciding he wasn't in the mood for work he pulled his police scanner out and elected instead to patrol the streets for a couple of hours.

Another dress joined the pile on the floor and Lois groaned in frustration.

Was it really that hard to pick out something nice to wear? Lois didn't want nice - she wanted stunning. She needed a show stopper, something that would make her feel good, impress her date and make her forget about Smallville. She pushed all the dresses to one side and plucked the last few hidden ones from their hangers. She frowned at the dresses in her hand, they still had the tags on them! Lois had a bad habit of buying without trying - she was either too busy with work or Chloe had dragged her into a store after a coffee date. Lois smiled as she stared at the dresses, it was shopping simplified, if she liked the colour or design and they had it in her store than she bought it.

Lois threw a glance over to the wall clock and muttered an expletive when she realised she was going to be late. She threw the dresses onto the bed, keeping hold of a deep green cocktail dress. Lois had bought this dress because of its cut - short enough to show off her legs and the bust line was perfect for showing off her breasts.

Thinking about her date made her smile as she pulled on the dress. She had met Adam during the flight back to Metropolis and had immediately been attracted to him. Standing at over 6 foot, with gleaming dark hair and eyes you could just drown in Adam was a fine example of the male had been easy to talk to and seemed to have a wicked sense of humour.

She hadn't been able to resist saying Yes when he had asked her out.

Shaking out her hair, Lois watched the curls bounce as they fell around her face. She quickly ran some detangler through the strands and applied some lipstick and cosmetics to her face. A big grin lit her face when she glanced into the mirror - Adam wouldn't know what hit him!

Clark was staring blankly into his computer screen, having given up on work hours ago. So far tonight he'd had a total of 5 rescues, 3 muggings and 2 robberies. Yet he still felt empty and confused. Usually patrolling the streets of Metropolis gave him a sense of satisfaction, filling the empty spaces in him but tonight it just wasn't doing it for him.

His eyes drifted from the screen to the nameplate opposite him - Lois Lane.

How could he even begin to describe his relationship with her? One thing Clark did have to admit was that she was a constant in his life, when one or more things went awry Lois was always there. Though nothing romantic had ever happened between the two, the chemistry was there between them. An attraction that several people in his life had commented on and he had dismissed, it was Lois! Since Clark had known her, there had always been Lana as a seemingly third side to an invisible triangle. With Lana out of the picture he had allowed himself to explore his attraction to Lois with it nearly culminating as a kiss at Chloe's wedding.

Clark closed his eyes as he tried to remember that exact moment when he had stopped dancing, had felt Lois' hand on his chest and had simply leant in. Her heart beat had increased and her breathing had become shallow. She had wanted it as much as he had in that moment. Clark couldn't even begin to imagine how different the last couple of months would have been had his lips simply connected with Lois'. They hadn't and Lana had come storming back into his life.

Unfinished business.

When Lana had re-entered his life, it had reopened those old wounds that had not healed properly. He had thought that they could just pick up where they had left off, everything would be perfect and nobody would get hurt. He had been wrong. Without even realising it, he had hurt Lois. Granted that this thing between them was unspoken, it was still there nonetheless.

There were so many unanswered questions plaguing his thoughts, would he have felt different if Lois had never left? Would his relationship with Lana have lasted had she stayed? Things with Lana had never been easy and the on/off nature of their relationship had always been trying. The answers too these questions he would never know because Lana was never coming back and he was too much of a chicken to bring it up with Lois when she so obviously wanted things to return to normal.

Today had shown him that his work as the infamous 'Red Blue Blur' was an important part of who he was but that it also kept him from sharing himself completely with people. Lois was an integral part of his life yet he needed to keep her at a distance to keep her safe. However, both Lois and trouble have minds of their own and they were constantly gravitating towards each other.

Clark's thoughts were broken when he heard the scanner crackle, "All units are advised that there is a 211 in progress between 21st and Bronwyn."

Grabbing his jacket off the chair, he pushed his troubles to the back of his mind and super sped out of the Daily Planet building.

Pasta, Pesto and Penne was the Italian restaurant to be at. Lois had heard that getting your teeth pulled was easier than getting a reservation. How Adam had been able to get them a table was definitely something she was going to ask him.

Lois smoothed her hands against her thighs under the table and smiled at her dining partner. He was just as good looking as she remembered and he had been nothing but a gentleman since she had greeted him at the restaurant.

"So what does the Daily Planet's most intrepid reporter do when she is not sniffing out a story?" Adam questioned with a small smile as he took a sip of wine.

Lois quirked an eyebrow and tilted her head slightly, "I'm always sniffing out new stories. Never an off moment!"

Adam simply shook his head and gave a laugh, "I should have known. Ambitious."

Lois narrowed her eyes slightly, "Does that intimidate you?"

Adam gave his head a small shake, "I like a woman who knows what she wants and goes after it!" His eyes darkened slightly and he gazed at her intensely.

Lois's next comment was interrupted by their waitress removing their dinner plates. The woman had been trying to get Adam's attention all night but he had not even spared her a glance.

"Is there anything else I can help you with? Coffee? Dessert?" Adam glanced across at Lois and she shook her head negatively.

"No thank you. Can we just have the bill please?" The waitress nodded and moved away from the table.

"How did you get this table?" Lois blurted out the question that had been plaguing her thoughts.

Adam laughed, "Are you always this direct?"

Lois simply raised one of her brows as the answer to his question. "_ whatever he does for a living"

The bill arrived and Adam quickly pulled out his wallet and threw several notes down onto the table. "You ready?"

"How about we go for a walk and see where that leads us?" Lois suggested as she stood from the table.

Adam flashed a bright smile, "Sure."

Clark glanced at his father's watch and noticed that it was only 11.00pm. After arriving at the 211 call he had quickly stopped the robbery and left the police to handle the assailants. Patrol had quietened down soon after and he decided to head back to the Planet to tie up some lose ends before he made his way back to the farm.

The night air was cris and the sky was clear so he decided a short walk would be a good way to gain perspective and clear away the cobwebs forming in his head. Super speeding to about a block away from the Planet he began walking.

"This place makes the best coffee in all of Metropolis!" Lois stated before ushering Adam into one of the seats outside of the Cafe. They had only been walking for half an hour and had wound up near the Daily Planet. Lois wondered if she had directed them unconsciously in this direction and more specifically to this cafe, the same one Clark had never showed up to yet she still frequented.

Adam's words broke her thoughts, "I guess being a reporter you'd be addicted to the stuff?"

"What?" Lois asked confused.

"Coffee!"

Letting out a laugh, Lois nodded vigorously. "Definitely, I think sometimes without it I wouldn't make it through the day. I probably have more than the daily recommended dosage."

Adam chuckled and lazed back in his seat, "What's good?"

"Strong or not?" Lois enquired after his taste in coffee. She'd always thought that you could tell a lot about what a person drinks.

"Strong." The answer had a huge smile spreading across her face as she signaled the waitress over. Lois ordered for them both and the waitress was back within a few short minutes. Letting the tantalising aroma fill the air, Lois sucked in a deep breath pulling as much of the scent as she could into her lungs.

"Addiction." Adam remarked slyly.

Lois lifted her mug and answered, "You have no idea!"

"I think I do...I'm the same at work." Adam told her as he took another swig of his drink. "This is really good. Why don't I know about this place."

"I like to keep this one a secret...don't want all the coffee addicts in town here." Lois whispered as she placed her empty mug on the table.

Adam tapped the side of his nose, "Your secret is safe."

Lois let out a small laugh - Her date with Adam had far outweighed her expectations and she was actually astonished at how well they seemed to get along. There was none of the unnecessary tension or bickering that she had come to associate to her relationship with Clark.

Clark.

Releasing a sigh, Lois realised that maybe she had brought Adam to her favourite coffee shop in order to banish thoughts of Clark.

Lois' eyes drifted to the street behind Adam and she noticed the man currently plaguing her thoughts was approaching them. Flinching slightly, she groaned and slumped back into her chair

"What's wrong?" Adam asked worriedly leaning forward, his hand reaching out towards her.

"We're about to be ambushed."

"Ambushed?" Adam's brows furrowed as he tried to understand what Lois was saying.

Lois pursed her lips together and with a flick of her head indicated behind him. Adam glanced around and saw nothing unusual. A couple holding hands and eating ice cream and a tall man in a red jacket were both walking up the street towards them.

Turning back around to Lois he shrugged, "I'm not following?"

Lois just leant back in her seat, "Just wait for it."

Clark had been enjoying the relative quietness of his walk. Rounding a corner near the Daily Planet, he heard a laugh pierce the air and felt his heartbeat quicken its pace if only slightly.

He'd know that laugh anywhere.

Lois.

Glancing around for the source of the laugh, Clark spotted her at the cafe that had become one of her regular haunts. A smile lit up his face and he started to march over towards her but slowed his steps down when he caught a glimpse of a dark haired man sitting opposite her.

Lois wasn't alone.

'She must still be on her date.'

His mind dredged up the information almost involuntarily.

Clark knew that leaving quietly before she noticed him was the proper course of action but his feet weren't listening as they propelled him forwards. His eyes narrowed on the pair and his heart thumped away in his chest as he realised the date seemed to be going well.

Approaching the couple, Clark stopped awkwardly by the side of their table. His eyes immediately shot to Lois and began absorbing every detail he could. She had her hair flowing freely around her shoulders and a dress on that left little to the imagination but still remained tactful.

Beautiful. His attraction to Lois was not in doubt. It was everything else in his mess of a life that he couldn't sort out.

"Lois, fancy seeing you here."

His eyes bounced back and forth between her and the man sitting across from her. It hadn't escaped Clark's attention that Lois had brought her date to their favourite coffee shop. The same coffee shop that he had stood her up at a fortnight ago. His eyes caught hers and he wondered if in that moment she was thinking the same thing.

"Smallville," Lois hissed, clearly annoyed. She concentrated every amount of emotion she was feeling into the intense gaze currently shooting daggers into his soul.

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" Clark's voice was hoarse and barely recognisable. Her death glare was making his nerves rattle like crazy.

"Sure. Adam this is Clark Kent. Clark, Adam." Lois used both her hands to indicate at the men she was speaking about.

Adam quickly rose out of his chair and extended his hand out to Clark.

"Nice to meet you," he commented as Clark grabbed his hand a little abruptly and began to squeeze more than shake.

Adam began to wince slightly at the firmness of the handshake but did not release his grip either.

Lois noticed the seemingly unconscious battle between the two men and shot Clark a dirty look, whilst simultaneously attempting to kick his from under the table. She knew she had succeeded when his eyes shot to hers and he suddenly dropped Adam's hand, shoving both of his into his jean pockets.

"What are you doing out here anyway Clark? Not chasing a lead without me?" Lois questioned, eyes narrowing. Adam released a strong sigh of relief as he finally caught on that the two worked together at the Daily Planet.

Clark swallowed, "Nope, just getting some fresh air before I drive home."

He knew that he needed to leave before the situation became any more awkward than it already was. It was one thing knowing Lois was on a date but enitrely another thing to actually become part of it.

He turned to Lois' companion, "Nice meeting you Adam."

His eyes moved back to Lois, "S-sorry." he cleared his throat, "Sorry if I interrupted anything."

Lois raised her eyebrows and and narrowed her eyes at Clark. The tension radiating off him was clearly visibile and she fully understood. If she had just interrupted him on a date...the thought hurt a little and she quickly pushed the pain aside. This was not going to affect her, not now!

Clark forced a slight smile onto his face, "I'll see you at work tomorrow."

Lois watched his retreating back for a few moments before turning her attention back to Adam.

"A bit intense isn't he." The first words to come out of his mouth were right on the money. Clark was an intense man that she thought she had worked out but every layer that she pulled back simply revealed even more complexity.

Lois laughed out loud at the comment, "You don't know the half of it."

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Biting down on her lip as her eyes rapidly scanned the screens mounted in front of her Chloe Sullivan rubbed her eyes in frustration.

Sifting through information had been so much easier when she'd had a mega boosted brain capacity courtesy of Brainiac. Granted things had been so much faster to accomplish but Chloe knew she would never wish to be in that situation again. She'd gained brains but her soul had slowly been eaten away.

Since becoming a legitimate member of the Justice League, she'd been juggling so many different things in her life and the stress of it all was building up. She needed to keep pushing herself harder or work out a more effeicent way of doing things.

Chloe felt a small gush of wind hit the back of her neck and a smile graced her face. Next thing she knew a hand was reaching over her shoulder and offering her a cardboard cup. Her smile widened and her hand quickly reached up and snatched the cup out of the offending hand.

Taking a small sip, Chloe whipped her head around and gave a small sigh.

"Almond mocha with extra whip! How you know me."

"I can't have my sidekick go without her daily caffeine fix." Clark tried to keep a straight face before breaking out into a smile.

Chloe shook her head before getting serious, "I've cross-checked all that information you gave me but still nothing. It's like it just fell off the face of the planet."

"Before the Fortress darkened Jor-El warned me about Doomsday. Brainiac also told me it was the ultimate destroyer, bred to kill. We need to find it." Clark's brow furrowed as thought about the potential danger. He hated it when situations were out of his control.

Chloe watched as the weight of the world seemed to settle on Clark's shoulders. After everything he had already faced, a new challenge would present itself and Clark would yet again do everything in his power to overcome it. For all the strength he had, he just couldn't lift this weight away.

"So we have nothing?" Clark raised his arms in exasperation.

Swivelling around in her chair, Chloe jumped up and started rummaging through a nearby desk. Clark watched curiously and wondered how she knew where anything actually was.

"I wouldn't say nothing. A series of bodies have been appearing, no apparent connection to each other and no pattern in the way they were killed. "

Clark looked confused and opened his mouth to talk but Chloe raised her hand, "Wait. The only similarity between victims is that they have all committed some crime."

She indicated the file, "This man was a drunk driver who killed a family. This one held up a store at gunpoint and this one was a mugger."

"Wait, wasn't this the drunk driver that Jimmy saw Davis kill?" Clark questioned.

"Apparently." Chloe replied sceptically. Jimmy had been doped up on a high amount of pain killers so his account of what happened was not entriely reliable.

Clark glared at her and she shrugged, "What? I thought we had already rehashed this a million times, it couldn't have been Davis."

"I wouldn't discount Jimmy, something about Davis Bloome just doesn't add up."

He rarely instantly disliked anyone but when he had met Davis something seemed a little off. Add to that the fact that it seemed Davis' mission in life to separate Chloe and Jimmy.

Chloe used her teeth to pull her bottom lip into her mouth, scraping against the soft flesh. Her mind was working overtime processing all of the information but no matter what her brain told her she still didn't believe Davis had it in him.

"I'll keep digging and see if I can't find some more information." Chloe told Clark as she threw the files back onto the table and flopped back into her chair.

"So how is Jimmy? Are you talking with each other yet?" Clark asked quietly. He was hesitant in bringing up the topic but everybody needed someone to talk too.

Chloe shook her head, "Aside from a few emails, not a peep."

Deciding to deflect the conversation, she tried to change the subject.

"What about you and Lois?"

"Huh?" Clark was suprised by her question. He sighed knowing that if he could bring up her relationship troubles than it was only fair she could do the same.

Chloe had to bite back a grin; she knew that Lois went on a date the previous night and wanted to see how the Kryptonian felt about it. When Zatanna had turned her into Lois she had gained a new persepctive on the relationship between the 2 reporters. There was bantering and bickering but there was also a comradery and attraction.

"We mutually decided that whatever is...was going on between us was just a product of being forced together at work." Clark told Chloe in a matter of fact way.

Chloe's eyebrows raised and she shot a look that she hoped reeked of scepticism, "Really? So it doesn't bother you that she went out on a date last night?"

"Did you have to spill about the frame?" Clark deflected by refering to Chloe giving away the fact the he had framed 'Lois's Rules of Reporting.'

"I've got to keep you on your toes." She laughed moving back to grab her coffee.

"The date?" Chloe got serious as she spelt it out for him slowly, making sure he knew she wouldn't take a deflection for an answer. His eyes slightly narrowed and a crushed look passed over his face before he quickly pushed it away.

"No, it doesn't bother me. Why would it?" Clark denied that seeing Lois with another man didn't irritate him.

Chloe snorted and shook her head in disbelief, this was becoming ridiculous. She understood that he might need some time but outright denying even the attraction between him and Lois was crazy.

Chloe hadn't even realised that Clark was still talking, "...seemed nice enough to me but maybe you could do a check on him just to make sure."

"Wait, back up. You met him?" Disbelief laced her tone and she waited eagerly for Clark's response.

He gave a short nod for confirmation but didn't seem to want to divulge too much detail. Chloe seemed to understand that he didn't want to talk about it because she continued talking, "Lois would kill me if she found out that I was running background checks on her new boyfriend. The pain would be even worse for you."

"I just want to make sure that she hasn't attracted another psychopath." Clark murmured sombrely refering to Sebastian Kane.

"Are you sure that's the only reason?" Chloe prodded slowly, trying to push Clark into a confession.

Clark nodded fervently, "What other reason could there be?"

Pursing her lips together Chloe shook her head, "None I guess."

Looking confused Clark just stared at her. Chloe threw her hands into the air, "I give up."

"Coffee Miss Lane?" The intern was carrying a tray filled with steaming mugs. It was always nice to have someone bring her coffee.

Lois smiled brightly and plucked a mug from the tray, inhaling the enticing scent. "Thanks."

Taking a tentative sip before placing the mug on the table, Lois turned back to her monitor.

A string of bodies had been showing up in Metropolis, all killed within the last month and all between the hours of 10pm and 6am. Though there was no connection, Lois didn't believe it was a coincidence. Sure there were a lot of murders in Metropolis but there was a feeling in her gut that told her there was more to this than meets the eye. If there was one thing that had been drilled into her as a child it was to always follow the Lane instincts. She was going to have to go down to the coroner's office and see what she could dig up there.

Lois' eyes flitted to the empty desk opposite her and wondered where the Boy Scout was. After their discussion at the Planet the night before Lois thought it would be easy to purge thoughts of Clark Kent from her mind but he was still there, lurking around the edges.

"Lois Lane?" A woman's voice asked from behind.

Lois quickly swiveled her chair around noticed a delivery lady, "Yes."

"These are for you," the woman replied placing a massive bunch of flowers in a vase onto Lois' desk. She quickly signed for the delivery and took a moment to admire her gift.

'Flowers.' Lois could not remember the last time she had received flowers.

The blossoms were vibrant and colourful and the fragrance being emitted was strong but not nauseating. A note was perched precariously on top of one of the buds. Lois plucked it from its resting place and opened it slowly.

I had a great time. How's Thursday at 7 sound?

A

Lois smiled. It was such an old fashioned way of making a date but in this technological world - it was actually refreshing. She'd had a wonderful time last night with Adam except during the awkward minutes when Clark had interrupted them. Adam had been the perfect gentleman, dropping her off at home and leaving without even attempting to con a goodnight kiss out of her which she had appreciated. Thursday at seven sounded really good for a second date so Lois shot off a quick text message thanking Adam and accepting his date offer.

Lois threw her phone into her hand bag and grabbed her keys, she needed to get a start on this story before somebody else realised what a goldmine it was. The coroner's office was her first stop, if there was a link between the victims she was going to find it!

One Week Later

"Kent. Lane. Tess Mercer wants to see you in her office immediately."

Lois immediately jumped to her feet and attempted to brush the creases out of her skirt and the donut crumbs from her shirt. Though she had been to Tess's office many times, the woman was still intimidating but someone she really needed to impress. Clark on the other hand didn't seem in as much a hurry as she was and was still lazing in his chair, tie loose and shirt unbuttoned slightly. He looked unbelievably sexy sitting there and Lois unconsciously licked her lips.

"Smallville, usually when the big boss calls...we run."

Clark looked to Lois who had moved to his side of the desk so that she was standing directly beside him, "Sorry, my mind was elsewhere."

"Up!" Lois directed in a stern voice. Clark just smirked; the dynamic between them seemed to be returning to normal - she was being her bossy self.

Lois watched as Clark rose to his feet and without even a second thought she took a step closer, reaching out for his tie.

Clark watched as Lois moved closer and was puzzled until he felt her hands on his tie and ultimately his chest. She hadn't been this close to him since the fateful dance at Chloe's aborted wedding. Clark swallowed and tried not to look down at her, trying instead to focus his attention across the room. He knew how to do his own tie but was enjoying the proximity to Lois a little too much .

Lois raised her head slightly and their gazes locked. An awareness instantly bloomed inside of her chest, moving up to heat up her cheeks. Lois swayed closer until the space between them was practically non-existent. The heat radiating from Clarks body was intoxicating and her mouth felt dry and her breathing became laboured. Lois flicked her tongue out to licks its way around the corners of her lips. Clark couldn't look away, his pupils dilating and his heart racing. The thought of those lips pressed against his own, teased his will power. The attraction had always been there but the awareness had remain unsaid for so long that it was spinning out of control.

Lois's hands were still on his chest, her touch burning through his clothes. The electricity was sparking between them and he wasn't sure how much longer he could resist the pull. Lois wretched her eyes away and awkwardly finished fixing his tie. She let one hand remain resting on his chest, just above his heart. She knew she had no excuse to keep it there but felt she needed the tactile sensation. Biting her lip she couldn't resist looking back up at Clarks face. Her own eyes seemed to catch with his again, drawn like a bug to light - she couldn't pull her eyes away. The connection she was trying so hard to severe was coming back with a vengeance.

'You're just not trying hard enough!' Lois admonished herself.

Clark's thigh began vibrating, an annoying buzzing reaching his ears.

His phone!

He snapped his gaze away and took a small step back before reaching into his pocket. He quickly clicked the side button and silenced the ringing.

Clark took a moment, realizing his breathing was still heavy. Feeling rebellious he looked back at Lois to see her chest heaving, a dazed look covering her face.

Clark was a little confused by all of the emotions running through him as he stared into Lois's eyes. Was this attraction really just a result of work? He didn't think so. Lois cleared her throat awkwardly and broke eye contact with him, stepping far away.

Turning on her heel, she began striding away. "Are you coming Smallville?"

Tess Mercers' office was located on the top floor, along with the other executive suites. It was only a floor you got to go if you were invited.

Lois decided ignioring the 'moment' in the bullpen was the best course of action. It was a slip, something easily fixed - push it away and forget. Clark seemed to be trying a different tactic, his eyes remained focused on the floor and he was standing as far away from her as possible. As the elevator climbed the awkward tension grew thicker. They were never going to talk about it...they were just going to let it fester away, like always.

'It was nothing!' Lois repeated in her head the entire ride. Should she need this much convincing?

Ushered into Tess's office without delay, Clark noticed the woman in question standing by the window. Tess Mercer was an intimidating woman, she was extremely intelligent and exuded her power with ease. Clark was yet to completely figure out her role in his story.

"Mr Kent. Miss Lane take a seat. I have a story I want you to follow up on."

"I'm already working on a story." Lois interjected brazenly. Tess was the figurehead for the paper and frequently tried to manipulate the stories being published. Lois liked to get behind scenes and crack the stories people like Tess Mercer did not want cracked.

"It seems you have forgotten that you work for me!" Tess bit out impatiently. Lois winced slightly and gave a short conceding nod.

Lois risked a quick look over at Clark but his expression was unreadable, like usual.

"What's the story Tess?" Clark questioned, wanting to move this meeting along.

"There have been a string of arson attacks on Luthorcorp holdings. Police have yet to find any strong suspects believing the attacks are random."

Lois could see Tess's interest in this story was personal, "You don't think so?"

Tess shook her head, "No. Nothing against Luthorcorp is ever random."

"I want you two to use your unconventional skills to uncover what you can about these arson attacks. Someone is targeting these holdings and I want their heads on a platter!" Tess declared as she sat down behind her desk.

"Why us?" Clark questioned her.

"You work well together." Tess told him with a small smirk.

Clark couldn't disagree and gave a quick nod of his head. Tess nudged forward two manila folders and Lois taking the hint snatched one up and began flipping through it.

"Great. Let me know what you find." Tess nodded and indicated to the door.

It was going to be one long week.

Lois had decided that their initial investigation would be better if they started independently. Clark was in no mood to argue and told her that he would report his findings to her to following morning. The time apart would be good, maybe they would be able to forget the earlier 'incident' and get their friendship back on track. Deciding to avoid any awkward conversation at the office, Lois had returned to her apartment only to be greeted shortly after by a guest.

"So..." the voice trailed off.

Lois glanced up from where she was sitting, files spread around her on the floor. She directed a questioning glare at her cousin, "So...what?"

"Adam?" Chloe asked with a slight tilt of her head.

Lois's brows furrowed and all pretence of working was shot out the window, "Excuse me?"

Chloe smiled a little shakily knowing from Lois's tone that she was approaching out of bounds territory.

"What's with the smoke and mirrors routine?"Chloe asked, knowing that she probably wouldn't get any straight answers from Lois what was going on with Clark. Lois was usually an open book for her but she remain tight lipped on anything to do with her quirky relationship with Clark.

"Well, one minute it seemed you were quite taken by a certain farm boy but then like that," Chloe raised her arm and clicked her fingers to emphasise her point, "you seemed to have moved on. I just wanted you to know that you can talk to me. I might be Clark's best friend but I'm your cousin first."

Lois smiled, a tinge of sadness etched in her face. "Clark and I just seemed to get complicated really fast."

She paused contemplating how much information she should divulge to her cousin. Should she open up about Clark? Lois really did need someone to talk too about her mess of a personal life and Chloe had always been good for advice in the past.

"I thought for a moment at your wedding that maybe...just maybe I had a chance."

"Then Lana came back." Chloe finally spoke.

Lois nodded, "I've seen so much of that soap opera that I already knew what the result was going to be and I wasn't wrong."

Chloe nodded knowing exactly what Lois was doing, protecting herself. Lois felt like Clark had burnt her and she probably wasn't far off the mark. In the months leading up to the wedding the sexual chemistry between the two reporters had become extremely palpable that it was almost painful to watch. Chloe smiled as she thought about Jimmy and how he kept trying to push them together but they were both stubborn and somewhat in denial.

"So you did what you always do?" Chloe asked.

Glancing at the floor and then back to Chloe, Lois narrowed her eyes.

"I gave him a chance and he blew it!" Lois could feel the ache in her chest resurfacing.

"I've moved on."

Chloe shook her head a little, "But you haven't..."

Lois snorted, "Adam is not a rebound!"

She thought back to that morning at the Daily Planet, "but sometimes all it will take is one look from Smallville and the feelings I have tried to bury come rushing back."

Chloe nodded, knowing exactly what Lois meant. "So are you going to give away any second chances?"

"Clark always seems to hold a part of himself back Chlo and I can't have another relationship with someone who can't be completely open and honest with me." Lois sighed, refering to her failed relationship with Oliver.

Chloe knew that Clark had no intention of telling Lois his secret in order to keep her safe. He had a somewhat misguided belief that anyone who knew his secret was destined to a life of misery and danger. He had been proven right in the past but that was meaningless, wasn't it? Were those closest to him like Lois or even Jimmy destined never to know? Chloe knew that Clark's secret was a factor as to why his relationship with Lana had always been so shaky. He was afraid to let himself love again.

On this topic Chloe knew that she had to side with Lois, Clark had caused a lot of hurt to her cousin. Chloe could guess that a lot of that hurt stemmed from the re-emergence of Lana Lang and the way that Clark had seemingly 'forgotten' that Lois even existed.

Deciding to prod just a little further Chloe asked, "So what is status quo?"

"I've chalked everything up to us being thrown together at work and spending so much time together. We've agreed to keep everything on the field."

"And Adam?"

"It's our third date tomorrow night."

Chloe smirked; she couldn't wait until Clark found out.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Stretching her arms above her head, Lois leant back in her chair and yawned. It was late afternoon and there were only a few people still meandering around the bull pen. She had been on the phone for most of the day but the research into the arson attacks had hit a brick wall.

"Anything?" she questioned the man sitting across from her. Lois had feared that her interactions with Clark today would be uncomfortable at best. Instead they concentrated only on work - with no bantering, witty remarks or personal conversations. Lois was trying really hard to get their relationship back to their friendship, the one without all the sexual awareness.

Clark looked up from the piles of paperwork in front of him and shrugged, "A couple more dead ends. You?"

Lois gave a quick shake of her head, "According to the reports the accelerant was the same in each fire but no trace evidence has been found that has led to any suspects!"

She'd had a hunch that they would be able to follow the accelerant back to it's distributor and find out who had purchased it. It had turned up nothing. The accelerator had been a combination of various chemicals and many of the traders do not keep records of cash transactions. Lois had instantly blasted the workers, claiming they needed to keep records in case something like this happened.

"The only thing that might give us an edge is determining if there is a common link between all the arson sites and tracing it back that way."

Clark nodded, "Good thinking."

He was surprised at how well they were working together after that 'moment' yesterday. Clark had mentally prepared himself to be on the receiving end of Lois's wrath but was extremely surprised when there was no awkwardness just great team work.

Glancing down at his watch, he looked back up at Lois.

"It's too late now to follow-up on these leads but tomorrow morning bright and early." They had both agreed early in the day that they would not be going beyond duty for Tess's investigation. Instead they were going to leave work at a respectable hour and enjoy the evenings...apart.

Apart

Lois had not said it and neither had he but would they get back their friendship if they only spent time together at work?

Clark began gathering up his papers and methodically organising them. Deciding to take the plunge, he drew in a deep breath and looked at the brunette sitting across from him.

"Lois..." clearing his throat, he gulped, "You want to grab something to eat?"

Lois looked up from her mess of a desk and met his eyes, "Crap."

She winced at her crassness whilst Clark's eyes narrowed and he nervously chuckled, "I didn't think having dinner with me was going to be that bad."

Lois put her hand up to stop him from commenting any further, "No...Um..."

She wasn't sure she wanted to bring up that she was in fact going on a date with Adam.

Why not? They were friends? Friends shared this type of information...Right?

Her head was rationally telling her all the reasons why it was okay to tell Clark about her date. Her heart on the other hand was sinking, she did not want to create any further tension between them.

"I have a date..."Lois told Clark flippantly. She'd wanted to come off sounding casual, like the date was not too important.

"Adam?" Clark sighed, his eyes watching Lois intently for her answer.

She gave a small nod, "I'm meant to meet him in an hour and I look awful."

Clark's eyes had drifted from Lois's head, slowly drinking in every inch of her body. The intensity of his gaze had goosebumps prickling along her skin.

"If he thinks you look bad then he needs to get his eyes checked." His throaty whisper caused her breathing to hitch and her pulse to sky-rocket.

Stop it! Move away!

The voice in her head screamed that there was no future with Clark. Lois squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and forced herself to take deep, even breaths.

She cracked a half-smile at Clark, "Why thanks Smallville, is that a compliment?"

"No. I mean...uh,"

"Relax." Lois laughed. It was funny how he could be so forward with her without even realising it. When she called him out on it he became the shy, bumbling farm boy that she had the love/hate relationship with.

Lois gave a quick glance at the clock on her computer, lucky she had brought her dress with her to work. She'd known that she would probably not have enough time to go home. It wasn't the most ideal situation but she could make it work!

"So this thing with Adam is serious?" Clark questioned as he felt his stomach ball into knots. He wasn't sure why he was asking a question he didn't really want to know the answer too. He didn't know why Lois dating someone bothered him so much! He couldn't allow himself to get close to her but he also didn't want another man too.

Clark watched as Lois's eyebrows raised and her eyes narrowed as if she were trying to figure him out which she no doubt was.

"For your FYI it's our third date." Lois didn't know why but she was suddenly irritated by Clark's nosiness. If he'd been seriously interested in her he would never have stood her up or left her hanging at Chloe's wedding.

"Oh, so all the flowers..." Clark trailed off. He'd noticed the gifts on her desk but he had never seen an accompanying note.

"Adam." Lois confirmed. "Look Smallville, I'd love to stay and chit-chat but I've got to go and get beautiful for my date."

"Do you need a lift?" Clark asked after a moment.

Lois shook her head, "Nope. I'll see you tomorrow morning bright and early."

"I've had a really nice time tonight." Adam told her softly as he took a sip of wine.

"Dinner was beautiful. Thankyou."

Adam had picked up Lois from the Planet and taken her to 'Manhattan'. Lois had been stunned by Adam's choice, an upscale burger restaurant in Park Slope with an excellent view of the city. He knew what she liked and he catered to her tastes. The food and the wine had been exquisite, something that she would only be able to afford with a month's salary.

Adam had been the perfect date; he was funny, asked her about her work and most importantly he listened. It had been a perfectly fine romantic evening but shouldn't she want more than fine? Adam was extremely good-looking, had a great job and was always the perfect company...what was wrong with her? She was attracted to him but he didn't seem to get her heart pumping instantly or send shivers down her spine with just the slightest look like a certain farm-boy. Was she over thinking things?

Lois made sure she had several extra glasses of wine with dinner just to loosen her up. Her mind was always just too busy and she needed to relax more, let the night take its course.

Clark pulled the truck into its normal resting place and jumped out. It was so much more convenient and less time-consuming to use his super sped but picking up his groceries in town had necessitated the truck.

A familiar bark echoed and Clark watched as a sandy coloured dog raced towards him, "Hey boy."

Crouching down so that he was level with Shelby, Clark affectionately rubbed his head.

"Let's get you some food."

Placing his work notes on the bench he glared at them for a moment. Working on a story with Lois was something else, she liked to do things her way which usually conflicted with his own steady approach. If they'd had different stories they could limit their interactions and give themselves time to get their groove back. It was the close proximity that was dredging up thoughts about Lois that Clark wanted buried.

It had to be.

He kept telling himself that they could go back to their 'brother/sister bickering and bantering' relationship. It was funny because he was pretty sure that the thoughts he had about Lois were beyond this. He sure hoped something popped tomorrow or his patience was going to be severely tested.

As he was scooping food into Shelby's bowl, the familiar buzz of his phone vibrated in his pocket.

"Hello,"

"Clark, are you home?"

"Yes, why?"

"I've found something out about the bodies that we need to talk about, Oliver and I are coming over." Chloe announced before abruptly ending the call.

The bodies.

Clark had been so busy working on the story with Lois that he had forgotten that he'd asked Chloe to do some digging on Doomsday. That wasn't like him, to just forget something important like that. An image of a certain stubborn brunette filled his head and he realised just why he had forgotten.

The crisp night air had Lois wrapping her arms around her body as Adam walked her up the stairs to her apartment block.

Rummaging around in her bag for her keys, Lois smiled triumphantly and dangled them in front of Adam. She was hoping that he would take the hint and move in closer.

"So..." Adam whispered taking several small steps closer to her body. One of his arms reached out and dragged her against his body. Lois was feeling the effects of the wine and the buzz was making her eager to test her chemistry with Adam.

Lois knew that after three amazing dates that she was going to allow him to kiss her. She swayed forward slightly and waited for Adam to make a move. His lips touched hers softly whilst his hand cupped the back of her head. She pushed her tongue into his mouth and wrapped her arms around his neck. He deepened the kiss and pushed his body closer, his free hand moving lower.

The kiss was good, not mind blowing but still really really good! To be honest she didn't know if she was ready to become intimate with him.

Only making out at this stage, she told herself sternly. With a small groan Lois tore her mouth away and pulled back her arms.

"I've got a lot of research to wade through tomorrow morning, so..." Lois watched the dazed Adam get his bearings. If anything she knew he was impressed by the kiss.

Adam nodded a little disappointed, "Okay. I'll call you."

Turning and making his way back down the stairs Lois watched him for a moment before making a quick decision.

"Adam. Wait." Lois called out before moving quickly down the stairs. In a few seconds she was standing in front of him, reaching out her hand she pulled his head towards hers.

Her lips met his and she kissed him tenderly before pulling away. Turning around and walking back towards the door Lois threw a sultry look over her shoulder.

"Goodnight."

"Earth to Clark," A hand waved frantically in front of his face.

"Huh?" Clark looked up at Oliver Queen. He had not heard a thing his friend had said to him.

"Where were you?"

"I have other things on my mind." Clark replied as he sat up and tried to remember even a fraction of what they had been discussing.

"Other things? Or other people?" Chloe questioned with a smirk. Clark hated that she was taking an obvious dig at his situation with Lois

Oliver shot Chloe a puzzled look whilst Clark shot her a scowl. She simply shrugged.

"Lois is out on another date."

"Ahhhh." Oliver remarked with a knowing grin. He'd seen Lois on the Kent Porch right after her interrupted moment with Clark at the wedding. Oliver knew first hand the complicated attraction between the two reporters.

Clark's eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed, "It's not what you think!"

His denial had Chloe gasping, "It's okay now because she's not that serious with Adam but what about 6 months or a year down the track when she's in love with him?" Chloe questioned her best friend seriously.

A look of pain flashed across Clark's face before he masked it behind a half smile, "Maybe that's for the best."

"What!" both Oliver and Chloe exclaimed simultaneously.

"I've always put the people I love in danger. Who I am and what I do means that I can't have the same kind of intimate relationships as other people." Clark told his friends.

Chloe shook her head not wanting to argue with Clark, the sadness in his tone broke her heart. Oliver seemed to catch the tense undercurrents and decided to step in by changing the subject.

"Clark, If you think this 'Doomsday' creature is the one killing all of these people why hasn't it attacked on a larger scale? It's what it was bred for, right?" Oliver asked trying to get Clark's head back on task.

"The attack on the Ace of Clubs and this string of murders has led back to the creature. I don't know why it's not attacking the city; maybe it's not strong enough?" Clark said as he reclined back in his chair.

"From the reports it's not a small creature! How does something like that hide?" Oliver piped in, his question making the others pause for thought.

"Maybe we're looking at this the wrong way," Chloe spoke as she came to sit beside Clark.

"This creature is supposed to be the ultimate killer, right? Well what if it can camouflage to suit the environment it's in?" Chloe started to get excited at her breakthrough.

Oliver raised an eyebrow, "I'm not following."

"What Chloe is saying is that, if this creature is from Krypton like me then to survive it would need to blend in until the time was right." Clark tried to explain.

"Are you saying it is human?"

"Maybe not human...just a living creature. Maybe it only transforms into its true form when attacking?" Chloe proposed.

"Then it could be anyone...or anything!"

Clark watched Lois as they ate breakfast together. Swigging down a large mouthful of coffee she scooped up a spoonful of eggs before gulping them down also. He found it refreshing that even with the pressure women were under to look good that Lois remained healthy with a great appetite.

Glancing up from her food Lois noticed Clark watching her, "What?" she mumbled with her mouth full of food.

"Nothing," Clark smiled.

He was glad that he had sent her a text early this morning inviting her for breakfast. If they had any chance of recapturing their friendship they needed to start doing normal things again. He was surprised she had accepted.

"So what is our plan of action?" Lois asked after taking another swig of coffee to clear her mouth of food.

"I've got a contact in the Metropolis P.D that might be able to shed some light on these arson attacks." Clark told her. He actually wanted to see John Jones both about the arson attacks and more importantly 'Doomsday.'

Lois nodded; she knew that Clark's contact in the police force usually only spoke to him so that was the only reason why she did not insist on going with him. Lois's eyes rested on Clark and she noticed that he looked a little tense, like he wanted to say something but was hesitating.

"Spit it out!" Lois demanded and watched as he audibly swallowed.

"So...um, how did last night go?" Clark asked quietly.

Lois bit her lip; she knew what he was asking. In the past when she had dated guys it was generally her rule that on the third date if the guy made a move then it was acceptable. Clark wanted to know just how intimate she had gotten with Adam, not that it was any of his business.

"Good," she finally answered. "We kissed."

Lois watched Clark's eyes darken with an emotion she just couldn't name. Jealousy?

'No,' her mind screamed out. Why the green monster would suddenly consume Clark made Lois a little confused but also a little angry. She had given Clark plenty of time to make a move but he was either stupid or afraid.

"Oh," Clark finally blurted out.

"All you can say is 'oh'," Lois asked him sadly.

"What do you want me to say Lois?" Clark questioned.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all." Shaking her head, Lois reached into her purse and pulled out enough money to cover her half of the bill.

"Wait!" Clark reached out and captured Lois's hand. Tingles of pleasure radiated up her arm at his touch and she quickly pulled out of his reach.

"I don't think we should spend time together outside of work..." Lois whispered.

Clark gaped, "Oh..."

She hated that she had to be so blunt but it was hard for her to move on when he was always in her orbit - inside and outside of work.

Clearing her throat, "I've got some leads to chase, how bout we meet back at the Planet around lunch?"

"It's only for now." She told him.

Lois could see that Clark was hurt by her declaration.

"I though we were friends?"

She gave a small nod, "We are...but can you ignore it?"

Lois was alluding to the sexual tension eating away at her. It was hard to be in his presence knowing that they could never be more because Clark was unreliable and secretive. She couldn't be with someone who kept big parts of themselves hidden.

Heat had crept up Clark's neck, saturating his cheeks with colour. "We can't..."

He just wanted things to go back to how they were before the wedding, when all the bantering and touches were innocent.

They had agreed to keep it on the field but so far that just wasn't working out.

Lois sat at her desk tapping her pen in a steady rhythm. She had achieved nothing. After her confrontation with Clark she had spent the rest of the day on the phone to arson specialists about accelerants and psychologists about profiling. She wasn't any closer. Lois had to admit that the psychologists had been handy, giving her several profiles that may allow her to chase down potential suspects.

She hoped that Clark was having more luck than her otherwise Tess Mercer might just fire them both for being incompetent. Lois snapped up her cell phone off the desk when its familiar chirping indicated she was receiving a call.

Expecting it to be Clark she was surprised to see the display showing that the caller's number was being withheld.

"Hello?" Lois questioned curiously.

"I have some information about the arson's that you are investigating." A deep male voice told her.

"You have my full attention," Lois informed the caller.

"The people you are after are in a storage warehouse downtown," the man told her eagerly. The Daily Planet had a well-known informant hotline for people who had hot tips.

After getting the details out of the man she tried to get a name but was met by silence on the other end and realised the call had been disconnected. Ripping the address off the notepad, Lois glanced at the clock. It was 2.30pm; Smallville wouldn't be back at the Planet for a couple of hours.

Flipping open her phone again Lois dialled Clark's number, it went straight to message bank meaning it was either switched off or he was talking on it. She left a message giving him the address of where she was going and the rest of the details relayed to her by the anonymous caller. He was lucky that she was even giving him the courtesy of calling, had this been solely her own investigation she would not have bothered.

Lois pulled her car up to the front entrance and felt it was her lucky day when she saw that the boom gate was already open and there were no security guards around. Parking her car, she found it slightly suspicious that the warehouse seemed abandoned. There were no signs indicating that it was a Luthorcorp facility which did not fit the arsonist's MO.

Her eyes scanned the building and noticed a door ajar only 50 metres from where she was. Her gut told her that she would get her answers inside but it also told her trouble was brewing. Lois grabbed the door handle and pulled the heavy door back just far enough for her to slip through. Careful not to make too much noise, she kept her ears peeled any sign of other intruders.

Hearing faint voices had her moving west through aisles of neatly stacked boxes. As she got closer to the voices, Lois could also make out what looked like flames shooting directly towards the roof.

"This is the last one; I won't be a part of this anymore." A female voice spoke.

"We follow orders, you know that. We owe her." Another voice entered the conversation.

Lois had reached the end of the aisle and crouched so that she could peer around the corner easily.

There were 3 people standing in the middle of the room, one to her astonishment had what looked like fireballs in his hands which he was manipulating the size and shape of constantly.

Lois faced her ear towards the people to hear what they were saying clearly. She didn't get a chance to hear anything as she suddenly felt a blow across the back of the head.

Her world went immediately dark.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The first thing Lois felt when she regain consciousness was the excruciating pain in the back of her skull. The blow had taken the air out of her lungs, her body felt heavy and her vision was a blur of colours. Taking a moment to focus, Lois felt an unusual tightness around both her wrists and her ankles. Instead of being on the dirty cold cement, she had been moved into a solid steel chair and her hands and feet were bound roughly to the arms and legs.

There was little light and her eyes quickly darted side to side as she tried to check the situation and formulate a plan. Lois felt her panic quickly building as she began frantically pulling at her bindings to no effect. The rope was too tight and the coarseness created unpleasant friction when it dug against her skin. Her legs were no better. She'd considered calling for help but squashed that idea when she remembered that this particular building was seemingly abandoned - she did not want to attract the attention of the people who had done this.

The chair was heavy but it wasn't going to stop Lois trying to maneuver it towards the street where she could call for help. Her feet barely touched the ground but it was enough. Using the as much leg strength as she could muster, Lois pushed up with tips of her feet and pushed the chair forward. It wasn't far but every second counted, so she pushed forward again.

The ropes were chaffing her wrists and the pain in her head was radiating down her neck causing a sharp twinge each time the chair jerked. Lois was easily halfway across the room before she heard laughing coming from behind her. She pushed down the pain and let her adrenaline kick in, forcing herself to quicken the pace. Lois had moved another half a metre before a voice echoed, causing her blood to run cold.

"You're awake," the female voice from before stated the obvious. "A bit ambitious too."

"I kinda wish I wasn't." Lois choked out. She conceded that her 'escape' plan was a tad ambitious but she wasn't one to just wait for her fate. If she could do anything to get out of the situation than she would!

"Lois Lane, reporter for the Daily Planet. I admit that I've heard of you...bit of a go-getter, always after the big stories." The man who had manipulated fire earlier was holding her press badge, phone and keys.

"I just do my job."

"Seems you do it a little too well," the last member of the group spoke up. Lois gazed at each one trying to memorize their features for future reference. If there was going to be a future. She didn't like where this situation was heading, tied up in a storage warehouse with meteor infected people.

Meteor Infected

That had to be why there were no real leads in this investigation!

"Who else knows you're here?" The demand was harsh and Lois swallowed back her fear. She tilted her chin defiantly at the trio and didn't say a word. If she let them think she had back-up then she might get out of this alive.

"How did you even find us?" The woman questioned curiously. Lois again refused to answer. They didn't seem intent of torturing her which actually had her even more worried. She had seen their faces and would be able to identify them - this was bad news.

"Why are you doing this?" Lois challenged her captors, maybe she could gather some information from them...it was a longshot.

Two fireballs burst into the mans hands, the flames flickering brightly. He brought the flames towards her, the heat radiating off them causing a slight sweat to break out on her skin. He gave an evil smirk, "I'm sorry it has to be like this but we have a mission to carry out."

Lois felt her stomach drop, they were going to burn this building with her in it.

"You don't have to do this!" she begged as she renewed her efforts to loosen the ropes. They just wouldn't give but it didn't stop her from furiously pulling at them. Something had to give.

The man shrugged and threw out a fireball to his left, lighting up a pile of boxes. Lois watched as the flames spread rapidly as if they had a life of their own.

The fireballs are the accelerant! The meteor power is giving them life.

Her frustration with this investigation went out the window as she realised that she now had a lead to follow. It was actually humourous that even in such a dangerous situation she was thinking of her story...of the by-line.

"Let's go!" The man looked at his two companions whilst continuing to throw fire at piles of boxes. Lois watched in horror as the fire began licking the walls, the heat and the glow of the flames causing her heart to lodge in her throat. She was soon left alone, screaming at her captors to let her go, that she would not say anything. When that didn't work she soon began screaming expletives at them.

Smoke was rapidly filling the air causing a thick and heavy fog that had her becoming extremely distressed.

"Come on," she yelled out, pulling more furiously at the ropes.

The ropes were cutting into her wrists but the ones holding her right arm were beginning to slacken.

"That's it," she muttered. Pulling her hand back towards her body she tried to pull it out from under the ropes, if she could get one hand out than she could use that to untie herself.

The smoke was making the room hazy and she found that it was becoming a lot harder to breathe. Her eyes were starting to sting and the pain from her head just added to the problems but she was determined to free herself. Knowing she didn't have much time, Lois pulled hard at the ropes feeling them grind against her skin, drawing blood. Lois squeezed her fingers together as tightly as possible before squashing them out through the loosened rope.

The heat from the flames was increasing and the smoke was causing her to cough almost constantly. She wished they hadn't taken her phone because then she could call Clark for help.

Clark? Why not the police or the fire brigade?

Using her now free hand she started to untie the remaining ropes, going as quickly as she could because time was running out.

"Thanks John," Clark shook the Martians hand gratefully. He'd spent the last few hours using the resources of the Metropolis Police Department to try to track down leads on both Doomsday and the arsonists. If he came back with nothing to offer Lois than she would hand his ass to him. John had given him open access to both electronic and hard copy data which was helpful as not every detail makes it into the electronic database. Chloe had already gathered what she could but Clark was hoping to find something that had slipped through the cracks!

John had also been a good mentor in lieu of the Fortress which was still dark from Brainiac's attack. He could give Clark information about his Kryptonian heritage, his family and anything to do with other alien creatures.

"Kal-El, the times ahead will prove hard but remember it is your destiny to protect humanity." John Jones informed Clark. It was always hard to hear the enormity of his destiny and how much weight rested on his shoulders but it also helped him put things into perspective.

"Until I've discovered Doomsday's human identity then I'm powerless." Clark told the former Martian Manhunter grimly.

"I hope the information I have provided you about these cases will help you. I will also continue searching."

Clark smiled and nodded before saying goodbye. He had a folder filled with the profiles of Doomsday's victims. He was hoping that by constructing a timeline that he could narrow down where Doomsday was targeting. He quickly glanced at his watch; it was late in the afternoon. He'd meant to be back at the Planet at least an hour earlier in order to share his findings with Lois. He didn't want to look like he wasn't pulling his weight.

It was police policy that all mobile phones and electronic devices be handed over before entering the precinct. Clark collected his phone from the front desk and switched it back on. It beeped immediately indicating voice mail.

Dialling his message bank Clark placed the phone up to his ear. The first message was from Chloe wondering how his meeting with John had gone. The second message was from Lois, he smiled when he heard her voice but his smile was quickly replaced by a frown.

Lois was at a warehouse downtown chasing up a lead. He had to admit that she was a go-getter, anything for a story even if she put herself in danger. It was all worth it in her eyes! Clark hit his speed dial and waited for Lois's number to ring. It continued to ring and ring until it reached her message bank. He'd learnt from experience that it was never a good sign when Lois didn't answer her phone whilst tracking down a lead.

It could be nothing

Clark tried to reassure himself but his heart was beating rapidly and he had a feeling in his gut that he just couldn't shake. Clark closed his eyes, took a big breath and concentrated. He was listening for Lois's heartbeat - It was a sound he hated to admit he'd become familiar with over the years, using it to easily figure out Lois's condition and even more importantly her location.

Clark focused but was having trouble zeroing in on Lois. He doubled his efforts and what he heard had his stomach clenching in fear. Her heartbeat was slow...too slow. Clark quickly checked that nobody was watching and super sped towards the sound of Lois's heartbeat.

He followed the slowing sounds to a warehouse. Stopping in the car park, Clark first caught a glimpse of Lois's car before he noticed the plumes of black smoke billowing out of the building. He raced to the side door, pulling it off its hinges and throwing it quickly behind him.

Using his x-ray vision, Clark concentrated on the wall searching for Lois.

What he saw churned his stomach; a body was lying unmoving on the floor in the middle of a room. Within a matter of seconds Clark was inside and next to the unconscious body. She'd been restrained as he left leg was still precariously tied to a metal chair.

"Lois." He whispered brokenly as he picked her up, snapping the rope that held her leg in place.

The unbearable heat from the fire had sweat beading across Lois's skin. The raging flames were licking every surface with vengeance, causing the building to become unstable and debris to fall.

In moments he was a safe distance from the building - sirens were blazing all around. Lois was still in his arms and he felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest. He hugged her closer and the relief that coursed through his veins was revitalising.

Fire engines had screeched into the car park and fire fighters were pouring out, ready to do their jobs. Clark saw an ambulance approaching them and was torn between rushing straight off to the hospital or handing Lois to the paramedics.

"Clark," a familiar male voice called out.

"Davis, we're over here." Clark called out as he was waved towards the ambulance. He was reluctant to let Lois go but he was worried about her still being unconscious. He placed her down inside, his hand tentatively reaching out to stroke her cheek, mainly to reassure himself that she was okay.

Davis was efficient, placing an oxygen mask over Lois's and checking her vitals. Clark hovered awkwardly in the background watching anxiously everything that was happening.

"She is incredibly lucky." Davis spoke as he prepped Lois for the ride to the hospital. His partner jumped in the cab and started the engine. Davis smiled sympathetically at Clark.

"Do you want to come?"

The only thing Clark wanted to do was go with Lois to the hospital but he couldn't...he needed to search for evidence before it was all detroyed. Davis watched as a distressed look covered the reporters face and Clark shook his head negatively.

Davis gave a quick nod and pulled the ambulance doors shut.

Clark watched as they drove away. The activity behind him quickly reminding him of what needed to be done.

He would find who had done this and they would answer for their crimes!

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
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Clark wasted no time in zipping back into the warehouse. He needed to get in and out quickly and quietly before the firefighters finished and the investigators began examining the debris.

The building was gutted. Clark gaped at the damage that had been caused in such a short amount of time. The inferno that had consumed the warehouse was bizarre.

It just wasn't natural.

The thought hit Clark suddenly. The heat emitted from the fire and the short time the blaze had taken had been unbelievable. Unnatural.

Meteor Infected!

Clark was really hoping that he was wrong but the lack of evidence in their investigation could be explained by meteor abilities. He needed to see what Lois had witnessed...maybe she had seen faces or powers?

He spent more time than he wanted sifting through the debris and then questioning any witnesses outside that he could find. All he really wanted to do was be at the hospital!

Emil Hamilton was on duty in the Metropolis General Hospital when Davis wheeled in the unconscious Lois. He immediately indicated for Davis to take her into an unoccupied private room. Clark and Oliver would be happy that he had taken on Lois's health care as he was their trusted physician.

"What happened?" Emil questioned the EMT as he checked for Lois's vitals.

"Trapped in a warehouse fire downtown...unsure of exposure time." Davis informed the Doctor as he prepped the bed for Lois to be transferred too.

Emil gave Lois a quick check over, looking for broken bones, internal damage or anything else life threatening. He found the wound on the back of her head, blood matting her hair. It had stopped bleeding but would need several stitches! Lois's breathing was noisy and rapid and her face was covered in black residue. Emil checked her lungs and noticed the layer of black soot coating her nostrils. Smoke inhalation was a big problem and Emil was positive she had breathed in many dangerous chemical irritants.

Davis had recruited some help to shift Lois into the hospital bed while Emil set up the oxygen therapy to help combat her smoke inhalation. He would get her started on the oxygen before booking her in for a chest x-ray and connecting her up to pulse oximetry to monitor her oxygen levels.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Clark barreled into the hospital emergency room. He must have looked a fright with his dirty clothes and face, hair askew.

"I'm looking for Lois Lane." He breathed out urgently to the receptionist as his eyes darted around the bustling room.

"Room 7."

Clark threw a quick thank you over his shoulder as he rapidly searched for the right room. He had just passed Room 4 when he felt a slight bump in his side. Clark glared at the careless person before recognising it was Davis.

"How is she?" Clark demanded, gripping the man's forearm.

"She is still unconscious but Dr Hamilton is treating her now." Davis informed the worried reporter. Clark realised he was gripping the EMT slightly hard and relaxed his grip. It was surprising that Davis hadn't reacted to Clark's tightening grip.

Clark gave Davis a tight lipped smile and a pat on the back, "Thanks."

Davis was turning out to be quite helpful. He'd been an asset when Oliver had been poisoned and now his help with Lois...he definately was proving himself.

"Ugh!" Davis let out an agonizing groan. He clutched at his stomach, doubled over in pain.

"You right?" Clark questioned concerned.

Davis straightened up awkwardly and grimaced. "I'm okay. It's been a long day and I'm hungry. My break is coming up!"

"Look after yourself." Clark told him before heading off to find Lois's room.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Emil had cleaned up Lois's head wound, adding 2 small stitches. It wasn't as bad as he had first thought but she would definitely have a nice bump on her head. He had also cleaned up her wrists, which had been rubbed raw by whatever she had been restrained by. Nurses had taken Lois for a chest x-ray and he'd had the films rushed so he could see how much damage had been caused. The results were promising...with some rest and some oxygen, she would be right as reign.

Lois had been given nasal oxygen tubes so it would be easier for her to drink, eat and talk while she was being treated. Emil was happy with her progress as the nurses reported that she had stirred when being transported back to the room. It was a great sign! Emil had given Oliver and then Chloe a quick phone call to tell them of Lois's situation...both assuring him they would be at the hospital as soon as they could.

Clark gave a small knock on the door and poked his head in. Emil waved him in and Clark felt his heart jump into his throat as his eyes absorbed the woman lying in the bed.

"She's asleep." Emil told him softly. "It's good news!"

Clark's eyes never left Lois's prone body and he simply gave Emil a small nod before moving to the seat beside the bed.

"We'll keep her overnight but signs are good!" Emil informed Clark before quietly leaving the room.

Lois looked peaceful but it felt wrong because she was such a live wire, always full of energy. Clark reached out and grasped her hand, rubbing his thumb gently back and forth across the skin.

Clark gave the office a call and informed them of Lois's accident before leaning back in the chair. He let out a large breath of relief and closed his eyes.  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

She cracked her eyes open slowly, grateful for the dimly lit room. Her body felt sluggish and she let out a small cough, noticing the nasal tubes that were helping her breath. There was a heavy weight on one of her arms and her eyes glimpsed a large familiar dark shape sprawled next to her bedside.

"Clark?" Lois questioned throatily. The man in questioned jerked awake and leant in towards her, grasping her hand tightly.

"You scared me," Clark whispered hoarsely.

"You can't get rid of me that easy!" Lois smiled unaware of the turmoil churning in Clark's stomach.

Chloe and Oliver arrived at the hospital soon after. Both shocked that Lois had been attacked and left for dead.

When they were all gathered in hospital room Lois dropped a bombshell on them.

"They were meteor infected!" she declared, confirming what Clark had already suspected.

"We need to find them..." Lois tried to pull herself out of the bed but Clark's hand restrained her.

"No!" He told her firmly. Lois glared at him but he remained unyielding and so she relented, laying back against the pillows.

Chloe watched the interaction silently, it was always nice to get some perspective.

"We'll take care of it Legs." Oliver broke the tension in the room and soon they were all coming up with a game plan on how to deal with the investigation.  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Lois had promised to stay in the hospital until she was discharged and true to her word she was there the next day. Clark was genuinely surprised that she had stayed put. It actually showed that she was not feeling the best.

Emil had discharged Lois, informing her that she still needed rest. Lois had agreed on the provision that she could work from home. She'd not stopped working since she had woken up. Clark had returned to the hospital in the morning to pick her up, only to be presented with pages and pages of notes.

"Every detail I can remember." Lois responded to Clarks unasked question.

The ride back to Lois's apartment was filled with a tense silence and secretive glances. Clark kept looking from the driver's side over to the passenger whose life was nearly cut short. His eyes shifted between the road and Lois whose head was lolling back against the seat. He'd called the Daily Planet before they had left and informed them Lois would be working from home today.

"Clark," her voice whispered a little sore from the smoke inhalation.

"Mmmm?" Clark answered.

He watched as she licked and consequently bit her lip as if still not fully decided on what she was going to say.

"I just..." she paused, "Thank you. If you hadn't have arrived..." she trailed off.

Clark felt his brows furrow into a frown and his stomach dropped, what if hadn't received her message? He had nearly been too late as it was. His hands gripped the steering wheel hard at that thought and it wasn't until he felt a hand on his arm that he relaxed.

"Smallville, it's okay. I'm okay." Lois told him gently, her hand reaching out to stroke his arm.

For the first time in a while Clark felt his emotions get the better of him, "It's not okay Lois. You nearly DIED!"

"I've been in worse situations before," Lois gave a little laugh trying to make Clark and herself feel better.

Clark shook his head, "I wouldn't have been able to save you if I didn't have my..." he trailed off realising just what he had been about to divulge.

Lois glanced at Clark oddly, "What?"

Looking at her briefly, Clark turned his eyes back to the road, "It doesn't matter."

He was holding something back. Lately much to her chagrin he had been holding more of himself back. It created even more of a distance between them. Lois wasn't sure if it was because of whatever he was hiding or because she had begun to date Adam.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Clark pulling the car into her regular parking space. Jumping out, Clark moved around to help Lois out of the car. Her hands pushed him away and she shot a dirty look at him, "I'm not an invalid Smallville, I can still walk."

Clark heeded the warning and took an obligatory step backwards. Following her slowly up to her apartment, he grabbed her keys from her and opened the door. Since Lois had decided not to live on the farm and instead rent this place, he had only been here a handful of times. It seemed that old habits didn't die, no matter where you lived.

Taking his first peek into Lois's apartment, Clark cracked a slight smile. Dirty dishes were piled up in the sink and empty takeaway containers were strewn across the lounge room. Moving into the main living area Clark glanced towards where he knew Lois's bedroom was located. He could just imagine the mess, an array of towels, dresses, make-up and anything else she would leave lying on the floor.

Clark turned around to see Lois just standing in the middle of the room staring at him. She looked exhausted and her wrists were a stark reminder of what she had endured. Clark could feel the tension between the two of them and he wondered if it was just a result of what had happened or a build-up of the last couple of months.

Lois took a step forward at the same time Clark did. He was standing directly in front of her now, reaching down he grabbed her wrists and brought them up for inspection. Though it had only happened mere hours ago, the rope burn had caused both bleeding and discolouration and had to be painful. Clark used his thumb to rub over the marks and Lois felt a tingle rush down her spine and her heart rate spike. It just wasn't like this with Adam.

"I'm sorry Lois," Clark whispered continuing to stroke the exposed skin around her wrist. Lois hissed in pain when he hit a tender spot. Dropping her hands abruptly, Clark made to move away from her but Lois's hand on his chest stopped his movement.

"Clark," she whispered. She watched his pupils dilate and his eyes darken as their gazes met.

Her hand still rested on his chest and she watched in slow motion as his hand reached up to cup her cheek. Feeling the situation spiralling out of control Clark pulled his hand back and stepped around Lois.

"You should rest," Clark stammered in a low voice. "I should go."

Lois knew that she wasn't as quick on the uptake as usual when it took several moments for her to realise that Clark had broken the connection between them and was going to leave. She knew that Clark was just trying to give her space but Lois also felt he was leaving because emotions seem to be running high and he couldn't cope.

Lois felt her eyes well up as the build-up from the past couple of months finally took its toll on her. The deterioration of her relationship with Clark coupled with him saving her life had her displaying emotions she normally held back.

Clark had reached the door to the apartment, reaching for the door knob he felt the sudden urge to look back for a moment. What he saw surprised him. Lois was standing in the middle of the room, tears making tracks down her face and the most vulnerable expression he had ever seen.

"Smallville," the way she said his name had him striding back towards her, doing something that surprised them both. Using his momentum he half lifted her as his lips crashed into hers urgently, hotly. Just one small taste was all it took for things to explode between them. Her hands moved to wind around his neck and into his hair.

Moving quickly he braced her back against the wall behind them as if she weighed nothing. Neither of them seemed to be thinking of the consequences, lust had just kicked them both in the guts. Her tongue pushed into his mouth and tangled with his, Clark growled low in his throat. Pulling his mouth from hers for the briefest gulp of air, he started attacking her neck.

Lois sighed and leant her head back against the wall as she played with the hair at the back of Clark's neck. All thoughts had left her mind and she just revelled in the feelings that were coursing through her body.

Who would have guessed Smallville could be so forward, that the farm boy could kiss so well. Wrapping her legs around Clark's waist she used the opportunity to pull him in closer. His mouth moved back up to hers and began to taste it hungrily. Lois swore if she'd been standing her knees would have given way.

Time seemed to have lost meaning between the two of them until Clark suddenly pulled his mouth away from hers and dropped her to the floor. Lois's face was flushed and she glanced at him confused, why had he stopped? It wasn't until she heard the persistent knocking on her front door that she realised why Clark had pulled away.

Reality filtered back into her brain and she used her hands to push back on Clark's chest. Smoothing down her clothes and hair she walked quickly to the front door. Pulling it open roughly, Lois gasped when she saw who it was.

"Adam!"

TBC


End file.
